THE PRINCESS; A MEDLEY

London: Edward Moxon and Co, 1860. First Illustrated Edition. 217 x 147 mm. (8 1/2 x 5 3/4"). 4 p.l., 188 pp.
SUPERB SCARLET CRUSHED MOROCCO, RICHLY GILT AND INLAID, BY SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE (stamp-signed on front doublure), covers with wide frame of rose sprays, gilt and inlaid with ivory morocco blooms and green morocco leaves, the side pieces highlighted with gilt crowns and inlaid ivory morocco lilies, blue morocco cornerpiece squares tooled in gilt with symbols of Astronomy, Chemistry, Art, and Artchitecutre, central panel of upper cover set with rows of small fleurs-de-lys, inlaid blue morocco medallion at center, with inlaid rose sprigs above and below, the medallion on the upper cover tooled with a portrait of Princess Ida; lower cover with similar central panel with oval centerpiece containing a stippled gilt background, tools with bow and arrows and laurel leaves, inlaid blue morocco heart-shaped scroll with flaming gilt heart at center, and below that an inlaid navy morocco scroll proclaiming "AMOR OMNIA VINCIT"; raised bands, spine compartments with spray of four inlaid roses and gilt crown superimposed at center, SKY BLUE MOROCCO DOUBLURES semé with alternating floral sprigs and grass tufts, a gilt and inlaid spray of three red blossoms at center, periwinkle blue watered silk endleaves bordered with gilt scallops, all edges gilt and gauffered. With 26 illustrations engraved on wood by Dalziel, Green, Thomas, and E. Williams, from drawings by Daniel Maclise, R.A. ◆One corner a little bumped, but AN EXTREMELY FINE COPY, especially clean, fresh, and smooth internally, and in a very lustrous binding with brilliant gilt and virtually no signs of use.

This is the first illustrated version of the most famous work Tennyson published during his lifetime, offered here in a splendid Sangorski binding of striking beauty, elevated taste, and unerring execution. Written in blank verse and originally published in 1847, "The Princess" envisions a Medieval university for women founded by a princess. It was the first attempt at a lengthy poem by Tennyson, and it is generally considered to be the most lyrically beautiful of his works. Tennyson's tale is enriched in this edition by the charming illustrations of Daniel Maclise, whose expertise as a history painter made him very well suited to the material. He excelled at depicting complex narrative scenes, and had a particular interest in historical costume. Binders Francis Sangorski and George Sutcliffe met as boys attending Douglas Cockerell's bookbinding classes at the L. C. C. Central School. Cockerell was so impressed by their skill that he hired Sutcliffe as a finisher and Sangorski as a forwarder. In 1901, Francis and George went into business for themselves, and before long, they had become two of the most renowned English binders of the 20th century. In their Edwardian heyday, an intense rivalry between the Riviere bindery and the Sangorski firm developed, as the two firms began putting out decorated bindings of remarkable intricacy that have been the delight of bibliophiles ever since. The present binding incorporates pictorial elements linked to the text: the princess herself, the keystone subjects of a university education, and multiple symbols of royalty. The wonderful condition here confirms that our volume has always been treated with great care--one might almost say, like a princess..